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San Francisco – Monsanto found himself on trial in San Francisco on Monday to determine whether his Roundup herbicide is carcinogenic and whether the US group has deliberately concealed the dangerousness of this product made from glyphosate.
Monsanto, which has just been bought out by the German company Bayer and is soon to disappear, is the subject of a complaint by an individual suffering from terminal cancer after spraying Roundup for several years .
" Monsanto has known for 40 years that the basic components of Roundup can cause tumors in experimental animals ," said lawyer Brent Wisner on the first day trial hearings in San Francisco (West).
This one must look into the complaint of Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year-old American who sprayed Round Up for over two years.
This is the first trial against this product that is the subject of hundreds or even thousands of procedures in the United States. Officially opened in mid-June with jury appointment procedures, it got off to a good start on Monday and is expected to last at least three weeks.
" Monsanto used every means at its disposal to frighten scientists and oppose researchers ," Wisner charged, saying that Monsanto had done everything to hide the link between his product and the risks of cancer.
– Glyphosate-
Sold for more than 40 years, Roundup, one of the world's most widely used herbicides, contains glyphosate, a highly controversial substance that is the subject of conflicting scientific research. to its carcinogenic character.
Monsanto, which faces millions of dollars in damages alone, has always firmly denied any connection between cancer and glyphosate.
Two years ago Dewayne Johnson was diagnosed with incurable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, says one of his lawyers David Dickens of Miller, specializing in the defense of individuals who feel they are victims of defective products .
" This is not the fault of no luck ", it is not due to a problem " genetic ", " it is to because of his continued exposure to the Round Up and Ranger Pro "(Monsanto's similar product), which he sprayed between 2012 and 2014 on school grounds in the city of Benicia, California (west), badures Me Dickens.
Mr. Wisner, he said Monday that Mr. Johnson had heard about Roundup " that he could drink it, that it was absolutely not toxic " but that he had, however, put on a suit and wore protective glbades or sunglbades when he was using it.
The prosecution's task is to convince jurors of the link between Roundup and Dewayne Johnson's cancer when it has not been scientifically proven despite years of debate.
Monsanto was to present his arguments later in the day on Monday. The chemical group says that more than 800 studies support its denials about the dangerousness of the product.
" We express sympathy for anyone with cancer, but the scientific evidence clearly shows that glyphosate is not the cause, and we are about to present this evidence in court ", Monsanto also said in a recent statement.
Robert Kennedy Jr., Bob Kennedy's son, himself a brother of former United States President John Kennedy murdered in 1963, sat in the front row of the audience on Monday as a member of the team. lawyers gathered around the complainant.
– " As much as possible " –
" I do not think we can be surprised that Monsanto tried to prevent the public from knowing dangerousness of the product) and to manipulate the authorization process "he told the press out of court. He said his own firm had 700 complaints " in the pipeline " regarding Roundup and cancer cases.
Asked about the amount of compensation Mr. Johnson could get, Mr. Kennedy replied: " We hope that Mr. Johnson will be able to obtain as much as possible ".
Unlike the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California, where San Francisco is located, has put glyphosate on the list of carcinogens. And in that State, every manufacturer who is aware of the carcinogenicity of a certain or suspected carcinogen must obligatorily include it on the packaging.
Glyphosate is also clbadified " probable carcinogen " since 2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a body of the WHO, unlike European agencies, Efsa (food safety) and the Echa (chemicals).
Glyphosate is particularly controversial in Europe. Following the decision of the European Union in November to renew the license for the herbicide for five years, the French government has committed to stop using this substance for the main uses within three years.
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